Love in the Movies

May 26, 2016 12:01 AM

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CAROL: This is lesbian love story that has lots of social context. Set in the 1950s, it's about a newly separated woman and a fairly aimless unformed young woman who slowly fall in love. With Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. less

CAROL: This is lesbian love story that has lots of social context. Set in the 1950s, it's about a newly separated woman and a fairly aimless unformed young woman who slowly fall in love. With Cate Blanchett and ... more

CAROL: This is lesbian love story that has lots of social context.... Photo-10143074.88348 - SFGate

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Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan and Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in a scene from "The Great Gatsby." The world dooms it.

Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan and Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in a scene from "The Great Gatsby." The world dooms it.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS -- a young love movie, but a doomed love movie too. Love doomed by illness.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS -- a young love movie, but a doomed love movie too. Love doomed by illness.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS -- a young love movie, but a doomed love... Photo-6495482.88348 - SFGate

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3 Hearts -- a very weird doomed-love movie from France, about a guy who falls in love with a woman, loses track of her, and then marries her sister, not knowing that she is the sister of the woman he really loves. Above is the star, Benoit Poelvoorde, with Chiara Mastroianni, who plays the unsuspecting wife. less

3 Hearts -- a very weird doomed-love movie from France, about a guy who falls in love with a woman, loses track of her, and then marries her sister, not knowing that she is the sister of the woman he really ... more

3 Hearts -- a very weird doomed-love movie from France, about a guy... Photo-10143075.88348 - SFGate

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Brooklyn: This is another love story that's as much about the social context as it is about the people. In this case, it's about the contrast between Ireland and the United States and the choice that the young woman (Saoirse Ronan) must make. less

Brooklyn: This is another love story that's as much about the social context as it is about the people. In this case, it's about the contrast between Ireland and the United States and the choice that the young ... more

Brooklyn: This is another love story that's as much about the... Photo-10143076.88348 - SFGate

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Norma Shearer flirts with Robert Montgomery, but it goes no further -- until her husband accuses her of adultery. Then she figures she might as well go ahead and do it, in RIPTIDE (1934) -- made right before the Production Code came in. less

Norma Shearer flirts with Robert Montgomery, but it goes no further -- until her husband accuses her of adultery. Then she figures she might as well go ahead and do it, in RIPTIDE (1934) -- made right before ... more

Photo: Milton Brown, Getty Images

Norma Shearer flirts with Robert Montgomery, but it goes no further... Photo-6495473.88348 - SFGate

LIKE CRAZY -- An interesting entry, it starts as a young love movie, then becomes a movie about familiarity, then a movie about adultery.

LIKE CRAZY -- An interesting entry, it starts as a young love movie, then becomes a movie about familiarity, then a movie about adultery.

LIKE CRAZY -- An interesting entry, it starts as a young love... Photo-6495427.88348 - SFGate

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MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS -- a very good and under-appreciated young love film, directed by Wong Kar-Wai.

MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS -- a very good and under-appreciated young love film, directed by Wong Kar-Wai.

MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS -- a very good and under-appreciated young love... Photo-6495428.88348 - SFGate

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"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist": One of the sub-genres of the young love film is the one magical night film. This is a mediocre example of a movie in that category, though the leads, Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, were just fine. less

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist": One of the sub-genres of the young love film is the one magical night film. This is a mediocre example of a movie in that category, though the leads, Michael Cera and Kat ... more

1947: Ronald Reagan and Eleanor Parker in the film "The Voice of the turtle" about two people coming together in a very specific world -- a time when the war hadn't yet ended, but they could see the end coming. less

1947: Ronald Reagan and Eleanor Parker in the film "The Voice of the turtle" about two people coming together in a very specific world -- a time when the war hadn't yet ended, but they could see the end ... more

Photo: Roger Viollet Collection, Roger Viollet/Getty Images

1947: Ronald Reagan and Eleanor Parker in the film "The Voice... Photo-6495502.88348 - SFGate

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BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (2013) -- a great film about the exhilaration and pain of first love.

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (2013) -- a great film about the exhilaration and pain of first love.

Photo: Dominique Charriau, WireImage

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (2013) -- a great film about the... Photo-6495423.88348 - SFGate

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John Cusack and Iben Hjejle in "High Fidelity" -- love turns him into an adult.

John Cusack and Iben Hjejle in "High Fidelity" -- love turns him into an adult.

CAMILLE (1936) -- a courtesan finds redemption at the eleventh hour, when she falls selflessly in love with an idealistic young man. Garbo films were almost always about the woman's redemption through love and sacrifice. less

CAMILLE (1936) -- a courtesan finds redemption at the eleventh hour, when she falls selflessly in love with an idealistic young man. Garbo films were almost always about the woman's redemption through love and ... more

MERRILY WE GO TO HELL (1932) -- fascinating movie, almost a doomed love tale, about an alcoholic playwright who marries an innocent girl and drags her through the gutter. But the last minutes hint at the possibility of mutual redemption. Featuring a great performance by Fredric March. less

MERRILY WE GO TO HELL (1932) -- fascinating movie, almost a doomed love tale, about an alcoholic playwright who marries an innocent girl and drags her through the gutter. But the last minutes hint at the ... more

THE ARTIST -- Her love rescues him from the edge of death and renews him and his career.

THE ARTIST -- Her love rescues him from the edge of death and renews him and his career.

THE ARTIST -- Her love rescues him from the edge of death and... Photo-6495446.88348 - SFGate

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MY FAIR LADY (1964) -- She ends up helping him as much as he helps her.

MY FAIR LADY (1964) -- She ends up helping him as much as he helps her.

MY FAIR LADY (1964) -- She ends up helping him as much as he helps... Photo-6495447.88348 - SFGate

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ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS -- two painfully shy people find a way to deal with the world, through each other's influence.

ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS -- two painfully shy people find a way to deal with the world, through each other's influence.

ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS -- two painfully shy people find a way to deal... Photo-6495449.88348 - SFGate

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THE ROMANCE OF FAMILIARITY: Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire together in a scene from the film 'Flying Down To Rio', 1933. It was the delightful spectacle of a man and woman working together as pals that made them an immediate hit with this, their first film as a team. less

THE ROMANCE OF FAMILIARITY: Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire together in a scene from the film 'Flying Down To Rio', 1933. It was the delightful spectacle of a man and woman working together as pals that made ... more

ANIMAL KINGDOM (1932) -- this is a movie about the romance of familiarity, in which the true wife is the former live-in girlfriend (Ann Harding) and the mistaken lust-ridden fling is the wife (Myrna Loy) that our hero marries in haste. less

ANIMAL KINGDOM (1932) -- this is a movie about the romance of familiarity, in which the true wife is the former live-in girlfriend (Ann Harding) and the mistaken lust-ridden fling is the wife (Myrna Loy) that ... more

ANIMAL KINGDOM (1932) -- this is a movie about the romance of... Photo-6495452.88348 - SFGate

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MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (1992) -- Shakespeare's play has at its center two people who know each other well and discover the powerful mutual attraction that has been dormant for years.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (1992) -- Shakespeare's play has at its center two people who know each other well and discover the powerful mutual attraction that has been dormant for years.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (1992) -- Shakespeare's play has at its... Photo-6495454.88348 - SFGate

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NENNETTE AND BONI -- Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Vincent Gallo played an enormously happy young married couple.

NENNETTE AND BONI -- Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Vincent Gallo played an enormously happy young married couple.

CLEOPATRA -- an adultery movie in the sense that Marc Antony was married. And also in the sense that Liz Taylor and Richard Burton were married (to other people) when they made this movie, and that's all the audience could think about. less

CLEOPATRA -- an adultery movie in the sense that Marc Antony was married. And also in the sense that Liz Taylor and Richard Burton were married (to other people) when they made this movie, and that's all the ... more

SE SOUVENIR DE BELLES CHOSES -- She is a woman with premature dementia. He's a man slowly getting his mind back after a tragic accident. At first she's better off than he is, but as he recovers, she gets worse. Painful and very well acted. less

SE SOUVENIR DE BELLES CHOSES -- She is a woman with premature dementia. He's a man slowly getting his mind back after a tragic accident. At first she's better off than he is, but as he recovers, she gets ... more

SE SOUVENIR DE BELLES CHOSES -- She is a woman with premature... Photo-6495490.88348 - SFGate

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UP IN THE AIR -- You can argue this as an adultery movie, but it's more a case of doomed love -- a romantic projection on his part.

UP IN THE AIR -- You can argue this as an adultery movie, but it's more a case of doomed love -- a romantic projection on his part.

UP IN THE AIR -- You can argue this as an adultery movie, but... Photo-6495491.88348 - SFGate

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Marie-Josee Croze, best known as the Dutch assassin in MUNICH, attends "Je l'aimais" Paris Premiere on April 27, 2009. This is a really sophisticated film about adultery, sympathetic to all sides, in which everyone loses. She played the other woman. less

Marie-Josee Croze, best known as the Dutch assassin in MUNICH, attends "Je l'aimais" Paris Premiere on April 27, 2009. This is a really sophisticated film about adultery, sympathetic to all sides, in which ... more

Photo: Marc Ausset-Lacroix, WireImage

Marie-Josee Croze, best known as the Dutch assassin in MUNICH,... Photo-6495469.88348 - SFGate

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LOVE IN THE SOCIAL CONTEXT -- "Going the Distance" was about the challenge of maintaining a relationship in a bad economy.

LOVE IN THE SOCIAL CONTEXT -- "Going the Distance" was about the challenge of maintaining a relationship in a bad economy.

LOVE IN THE SOCIAL CONTEXT -- "Going the Distance" was... Photo-6495493.88348 - SFGate

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LUST, CAUTION -- the effect of war and occupation on sex and love.

LUST, CAUTION -- the effect of war and occupation on sex and love.

LUST, CAUTION -- the effect of war and occupation on sex and love. Photo-6495497.88348 - SFGate

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REDS (1981) -- love in the social context of the communist revolution.

REDS (1981) -- love in the social context of the communist revolution.

REDS (1981) -- love in the social context of the communist revolution. Photo-6495500.88348 - SFGate

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ROMAN HOLIDAY lots of elements, but the social context dominates. She's royalty, and he's not.

ROMAN HOLIDAY lots of elements, but the social context dominates. She's royalty, and he's not.

ROMAN HOLIDAY lots of elements, but the social context dominates.... Photo-6495501.88348 - SFGate

Nina Arianda on the set of "Rob The Mob" -- all about young love, the romance of familiarity, redemption, and doomed love. But the context is important, too. A mafia dominated neighborhood in New York.

Nina Arianda on the set of "Rob The Mob" -- all about young love, the romance of familiarity, redemption, and doomed love. But the context is important, too. A mafia dominated neighborhood in New York.

Photo: Bobby Bank, WireImage

Nina Arianda on the set of "Rob The Mob" -- all about... Photo-6495507.88348 - SFGate

Norma Shearer plays rich girl Florence (left) and poor girl Molly (right) in "Lady of the Night." A great movie about the social context's effect on love, it's about a man who chooses the rich girl and doesn't notice the poor girl -- that is, he doesn't even notice that they're identical. All he sees is class and money. less

Norma Shearer plays rich girl Florence (left) and poor girl Molly (right) in "Lady of the Night." A great movie about the social context's effect on love, it's about a man who chooses the rich girl and doesn't ... more

GLOOMY SUNDAY -- a great film, with elements of everything, young love, redemption, the romance of familiarity, adultery, and doomed love. But there's also the context to contend with, Hungary during the Nazi occupation. less

GLOOMY SUNDAY -- a great film, with elements of everything, young love, redemption, the romance of familiarity, adultery, and doomed love. But there's also the context to contend with, Hungary during the Nazi ... more